8 ways to get into character before D&D

[@GinnyDi]

Free shipping AND free dice?! Go to wyrmwoodgaming.com/ginnydi and use code “ginnydi” for free shipping and a free set of resin dice for domestic orders of $50 or greater! (International folks, use “ginnydiint” instead for the same deal, but with $10 off shipping instead!) #sponsored

[@Beedrill15]

You and Sam Riegel need to work together on an advertisement someday.

[@davidjennings2179]

@@Beedrill15 The chaos would be too much! Glorious to watch but I'm not sure the sponsors would approve.

[@javierburgos9975]

Best add ever actually cackled with glee on the last reveal.

[@peterbillings3276]

Ginny, I fully intended to skip past the sponsered portion, but your charming antics kept me from thinking about it from beginning to end. (Just don't forget that once *Charm* ends, we all know who did it!) >:-O

[@HeyLizardLeigh]

True story: my spotify wrapped in 2020 specifically called me out for listening to this one particular song on monday evenings- it got THAT specific. And, well, yeah, that was my D&D character song that I... always listened to RIGHT before our weekly monday games!

[@CrispysTavern]

Character builder questions are incredible. Not only do they get you into your character's head space but it can be a subtle form of development that helps to round out a PC. Small things like secret fears, pet peaves, favorite snacks, ETC. They seem small (because they are) but having those fine details go pretty far in making a PC feel like an actual other person that you're playing as.

[@homrunsimpon]

Hi Crispy. Big fan

[@michellew3561]

I'm definitely here for the videos, but I have never forwarded as many videos to friends and also said, "you've gotta watch the sponsored ad"

[@VanNessy97]

Jester and her donuts

[@lokiofasgard312]

What’s a good character builder question? Anyone got a example

[@MemphiStig]

@@lokiofasgard312 Ginny's got a video with 50 of them ("50 Character Builder Questions")

[@sunderedpsyche4289]

Ginny is the only content creator who's sponsorships I don't skip. So much fun.

[@stevenweller9413]

Don’t skip? LoL, I actually look forward to them and can’t wait until the video gets there!

[@laszlovad]

I laughed hard at this one. 😂

[@nriamond8010]

Sometimes the video topic is not interesting for me and I just watch the ad! 😂

[@TheSirStrazzen]

I have to agree, wholeheartedly . Her Sponsorship Ads could be boring, could make me want to reach for the mouse and scroll to where it ends but they never make me feel that way. I know that most of the Ads will make me chuckle and laugh in some way and that is something that is always worth doing.

[@_fedmar_]

This comment is sponsored by Wormwood.

[@Flint_Inferno]

Another tip that follows number 2: You can also use a specific set of dice for one character. Seeing as how the dice determines the fate of checks and the like, linking a set to one character helps feel like the situations happening in the session have weight to them, and YOU control their fate.

[@AkiAmeko]

Ha! I already obsessively do this anyway. And guess who changes characters a lot, and needs to get new dice every time???

[@melaniescribbles]

Exactly this! I'd also like to add the following advice to this: If you're putting together a character-specific dice set, then don't be afraid to mix and match dice sets if you have to. I mean, if your character is associated with the colours teal, gold and blue but you don't have a dice set that's both teal and gold, then gather up some other dice from some other sets. Like, combine a teal set with a gold set and grab a few from a blue set. Also, you probably don't need every single dice from a polyhedral set all at the same time, so just grab the relevant dice for the mechanics of your character's specific set. Because let's face it: Your Wizard is not going to need that D12 as often as a Barbarian does. But since all of this is advice from a certified dice goblin: please take it with a grain of salt, and my condoleances to your wallet in advance.

[@paigecraig8245]

Taking a tip from another of Ginny's videos You can get an accent D20, instead of buying a whole set and be able to honor more characters that way

[@OddlyElly]

I play an 8ft Loxodon so I use tiny dice so that I feel bigger than human me while I play 😂

[@bluekryptonite1121]

I do this! I’m in two different campaigns right and I have a little ziplock baggie full of dice for each PC

[@bayobayo]

The "use a key phrase" tip reminds me of when I noticed how Travis would accidentally go more for a southern accent while voicing Chetney because of Sam and Laura's influences, so in order to go back to Chetney he shouted, "Fuck you, Santa!", and it's like it just sent a quick reboot hahahah

[@Boundwithflame23]

I remember Laura using “technically” to get back into Jester’s voice when she slipped into Vex’s in one episode

[@bayobayo]

@@Boundwithflame23 Oh wow. I didn't even realize how much of Jester's voice I could hear in just the word "technically" until I read it in her voice. That's pretty fucking cool :D

[@rosemary3029]

My key phrase to get into my skye(dwarf warlock) voice is "loin"

[@jamieadams2589]

​@Boundwithflame23 there are also a handful of times when Laura slips into Vex whilst playing Jester because she says Vex's key ohrase which seems to have been "gold"

[@tessawidenhofer]

Oh yeah, the character playlist/theme song is absolute magic- although if you’re not careful, you’ll end up having to explain to someone why that totally normal song is making you tear up 😂

[@sharlharmakhis280]

Oh yeah. Made a playlist for my Star Wars: Age of Rebellion character and played it every Wednesday to get in character for the evening session.

[@commandercaptain4664]

I like that Tales from the Loop RPG recommends each character get a theme song to play during a session (for that era, it’s usually something from the 80s).

[@Sporquill]

I literally have a dnd session in like 6 hours and no time to prepare, this is super helpful!

[@jlo9993]

you have 6 hours haha

[@predarek]

When I'm stuck in your situation I try to explore an extremely minor story that I make up on the fly and let the player a bit more loose and mostly follow their leads (as you have no prep you are indeed following their lead, but they can't know that). I had a situation where my players spent literally 2 hours at a tailor to get the perfect outfit for something I had planned would take 5 minutes, you never know where they can take the story. It can be the right time to get a "mini game" out such as a casino where you make up the rules of a new card games or something like this. I've had players trying to figure out the best strategy for a dumb card game for a couple hours once as well. Don't forget, a good improv will look like the best prep you've ever done because you are "ready for everything"!

[@Sporquill]

@@jlo9993 yeah it seems like a lot but I’m at school for the next two and then I’ve got other stuff going on

[@yousseftrabelsi9991]

its 2 now

[@kiraallen73]

Enjoy your session!

[@vintagekaiju5486]

My token catchphrase for my last character was “They can try.” Usually said before an enemy attack of some kind, this phrase became my curse at the table as the enemies would often result in me getting hurt, charmed, or stunned.

[@jqze]

For the prop thing, I usually use a specific flavor of gum. People associate idle activity and flavors to memories super strongly.

[@PaleImperator]

Oo, very good idea - taste and scent are hugely subconsciously evocative.

[@williamfeliciano8980]

As somebody who loves these videos but plays Vampire the Masquerade, the question 'What did you have for breakfast?' became very interesting.

[@GinnyDi]

*Who did you have for breakfast? 😂

[@derricgreene]

@@GinnyDi Beat me to it. By six months

[@carlpult5235]

My Paladins Character Phrase: "Worry not, I have a shovel and blessed gravesoil."

[@foxglove-woods]

I read gravesoil as ravioli 💀 now thats a great character idea

[@ParadoxNerdHLM]

I always found theming what drink I started the session with was kind of helpful. Like, when playing as a Wizard I would have something theoretically calming, like tea. If I was playing as a Barbarian, I'd crack open an energy drink. I was playing, like, five different games at the time, and since they were often with the same people, just being able to take an idle sip of my drink and remind myself who I was pretending to be was really useful

[@Gamer-ec8dv]

I would actually really love a variation of this video for Dungeon Masters as well! This is such an amazing video!

[@whoa_thats_crazy5527]

Yea honestly it can be oddly daunting to start role-playing an npc for the first time that night, it always takes me a good 5 seconds of prep before saying those first words. After that tho I'm all good

[@V-vision]

Not that I've been a GM long, but I feel much of this is applicable for GMs as well. Particularly for when you have a few NPCs that you know are going to be important for the session or arc. If you're interested, these are the ones I tend to do as a GM and a bonus one 1. Key phrase. I tend to just say their names in their respective voice 2. Review motivations. It helps if you have it in just a line or two since you could be looking at info for a few NPCs pre-session 3. Related to 2, review how they've interacted with players so far/how you think they will interact with players based on their motivations 4. Record yourself introducing important NPCs in their own voice. Just a quick introduction that would encapsulate their persona. That way you can reference it in future sessions if it's been awhile or it's hard to jump into the character for any reason. For NPCs who you're making up on the spot and aren't necessarily meant to be important, it's good to just have an idea of archetypes to pull from. It's ok if a try-hard guard sounds or acts similar to another try-hard guard.

[@lyrebirb83]

It's basically this, but far far more chaotic at your doing this speed run style for everything they might do. Or you do like mercer and scare your partner awake making shoghoth death noises a, week before the season.

[@commandercaptain4664]

@V's Vision Thank you for all that advice, especially the archetype mannerism. I didn’t realize it could serve as a shorthand for players to understand with whom they’re dealing, as well as being less of a workload for GMs. I’m going to build up a repertoire of archetype mannerisms. 👍🏾

[@V-vision]

@@commandercaptain4664 Glad someone found you found it helpful!

[@VanNessy97]

#11 can also be interpreted as "Listen to music your character would like". If your Halfling Artificer likes "Barracuda" by Heart, then listen to it.

[@glarak9819]

I love writing in Character letters to the parents of my character, with the in-character reason to make them worry less. (Probably not the best thing to go in detail about an undead plagued city, a cult collecting sacrifices, a deal with Orcus or running after a Lich, but they don't get to chew him out for the stuff he's doing anyway)

[@bigdream_dreambig]

My character has written two letters home about once every (in-game) week. The one to my parents emphasizes exploration, adventure, and seeing wonders, but it makes no mention of combat or near-death experiences! Those descriptions are reserved for the letter to my mentor: a retired soldier / bounty hunter / city watch detective.

[@DJROCKSTAZ]

A DEAL WITH ORCUS!?

[@davidjennings2179]

Also useful tips for a GM. I had a few key NPCs where I would do things like shift up my imaginary glasses as the party addressed the arch mage, sit back and cross my arms as they told the captain of the guard how, once again, they had averted just slightly less chaos than they caused or lean in excitedly as they told the tavern owner news of where they had been, letting him live vicariously through their adventures.

[@Katinthekingdom]

Yes! I have key phrases or body language quirks that key NPCs have so I can quickly get into character as a GM.

[@JeiFaeKlubs]

"We all change, if we're lucky" is the best line I've ever heard in a sponsored segment :D

[@sharkdentures3247]

I completely agree on the recap suggestion. As a veteran DM, I would regularly start a game session like the start of an old TV show recapping the previous episode. Complete with a goofy announcer's voice, "When last we left our heroes they . . . . ", for an additional humorous touch. It would serve to mildly amuse the table while reminding them WHERE the game was.

[@jpierson]

The Wyrmwood ad--that suspicious glance at the mug was just perfect. Made me laugh out loud. Great little detail.

[@tammymccaslin4787]

After each session, my character writes a letter to her daughter about what happened. I read the last couple letters before the next session and it really helps.

[@thequietestlilbucket8402]

Number six is why it was so fun and easy to play my eladrin inquisitive rogue - the best way to get across how expressive they were was to put my whole face and body into it, and sometimes even use my hands to denote what her ears were doing as part of her expression. At the same time, I was playing another game as a dhampir bard of spirits, so I barely moved my face or body beyond my eyebrows to get across her closed off nature

[@derricgreene]

I do that with my latest pc too. If he stands up to pull 50 feet of rope out of his pockets by just pulling it out single cord style, so do I

[@rainhunter5546]

I usually skip through ad reads, but 'where we do the weirdest things that the people paying us will approve" was such a banger opening I just had to watch the rest

[@jordanw2741]

The leary "Ginny from Wyrmwood" when she was waiting for the next costume change had me cackling in the office. Thanks for making everyone stare at me!

[@MostLikelyMortal]

I’ve got like 10 Bareilles songs on speed dial for an emergency cry sesh, you good Ginny

[@callmeobsequious]

me: aw man i feel really crappy today bc of stuff with my dad and i have vampire the masquerade tonight, i dont know if i'll be able to stay in character all too well ginny descending from the heavens: i got u fam

[@GinnyDi]

I hope you're able to set all the heavy stuff aside and have fun with your friends tonight!!

[@JimPekarek]

This is great advice. Picking an accent or vernacular for a character can really help you get into their head. For my vampire pirate, I adopt a bombastic Captain Barbossa-style accent. For my Modron, a robotic cheerfulness that starts with a noun and often includes completely unnecessary numbers and strange systems of measurement: "Announcement! This unit has detected a pauldron with a loose rivet 75.42 millifurlongs from this position, bearing 247 mark 02!"

[@msf2399]

Our GM has recently started the transfer from pre-game chitchat to playing with a “warm up question” as well as our customary recap. You never know what it’s going to be; they’ve been as shallow as “what’s your favorite food?” to as complex as “what is the meaning of love?” It’s really interesting, not just because we get to think about aspects of our characters we might never have thought of before or hearing fun facts about the other characters at the table, but in seeing who has to really think about things vs who has an immediate answer, and which questions we have them for. Sometimes, really shallow questions take a long time (we all stopped for a good 2min to consider “what colors best represent your character?”) and sometimes deep, complex, philosophical questions have an answer so fast, the GM barely finishes asking it before one of us jumps it. We’re also allowed to answer it IC (as though someone asked our character the question) or from a more meta perspective (having us be more honest about things our PCs might never speak of,) which means we also have to consider it from both perspectives before deciding which answer to give. It’s been fun!

[@theyxaj]

Oooh this sounds like a great idea for a roleplaying group!

[@Outland9000]

We do our games above a Pub so a discussion over a pint about the previous weeks game, dice we've got, maps we've drawn etc is a great way to get into the D&D mindset.

[@ianjones9175]

I love character-building questions! As a DM, I always ask players one ice-breaker question when the game starts, and give them a few minutes to think about it. A few I've used and like: - What would your character say their best trait is? - If your character was made ruler of the kingdom, what's the first policy they'd change? - What in-game location would your character want to go to for vacation? Why? - What Halloween costume would your character wear to a party? Why? - What Pokemon would your character be? They can range from kinda serious to pretty light/funny, but a lot of times even with the silly ones, they can be really thought provoking and make you dive into your character. It's a nice way to loosen the whole group up, give them a chance to develop their character a little more, and start getting into the right mindset right before a session. Some players respond "in character" others just answer the question, whatever works for them is fine!

[@luckyfluf0]

I literally have a full playlist for my D&D character. It was originally made to help me get the vibe of her character through musical genre, but now certain songs have INSPIRED plot points, because I kept shamelessly sharing songs and what I envisioned while listening to them with my DM... (This has been a blessing and a curse because I KEEP GIVING HIM IDEAS-)

[@gamegraves]

crushed the ad ginny, when she loked at her drink and wondered if shed been drugged, that got me XD

[@phinox123]

I love finding one or two songs that really get me into my characters head space.

[@Paxladar]

Ok you were right that sponser spot was worth time that it took.

[@starlling]

The laugh I made after the first costume change in that ad... my excitement to see what you'd change into next 0w0 Also great video/tips :3

[@carolinelabbott2451]

"Ahhh, Mr Garibaldi." That's the first thing that came to my mind about the key phrase part. Made me smile.

[@danielgoldberg2129]

I have a really good drawing of my character that I keep in my binder. I leave it out where I can see it while playing and it keeps me focused on my identity.

[@fightingfalcon777]

Man, I cannot tell you how much the music one helped with getting into character. My group had started putting together a playlist for our main campaign/party, and “A Warrior’s Call” by Volbeat fully got me into the head of my Aasimar Paladin as this Chosen One style warrior And the character questions thing definitely help as well. Responding in character to your POV videos were extremely beneficial to better understanding many of my characters

[@JustinDynamicD]

Ginny always has such a genuine delivery on all of her videos. She just seems like she'd be an absolute joy to do _anything_ with. Not played DnD in years, still watch every time she posts.

[@kaitlynjaeck1798]

I love the suggestion of themed clothing!! It’s not a specific item per se, but I love wearing stuff that matches the color palette of my character when I play. It’s simple, and I can adjust it based on how I am feeling/what I am doing that day, but I’ve noticed it can make a difference in how in character I feel while playing. It’s easier to get into my rogue when I’m wearing darker colors and her favorite emerald green vs wearing blues and bright colors when I played my bard. Love this tip :)

[@mentalrebllion1270]

My most recent means of getting into character. Tea. I pick a specific tea for a specific character and only make and consume that during their game (or just before it). This is because our sense of taste (and smell) have very strong memory associations. And my god has it worked out! I definitely find it easier to switch into character for the two campaigns I do it for (chai black tea for one, and peppermint tea for another). I’ll probably expand into my other games to start doing so there too.

[@mentalrebllion1270]

I use a “totem” for some of my roleplay heavy characters. But yeah I do actually review my backstory. I actually keep an ongoing word document where I update stuff I learn about my character but still have access to what I originally wrote. I also keep a journal for the campaign itself but the word document is for my character. Also I try to throw together a playlist of songs that remind me of my character and I play it in the time leading up to the game.

[@calledThird]

I've been building character-based OC playlists for an age. They're a great way to sync with a PC.

[@millytheomegawolf6175]

Going along with reviewing the last session, while I like doing in character voice logs my friend (we are doing this campaign online) just was straight up making memes about what ever was happening as we went along with the session. Literally made our day lol

[@Lizarius]

#6 is where I live. Especially with my feylost changeling. Using posture and mood stuff to get in to character is amazing when the most prominent thing about the character is his smile.

[@JonarusDraconius]

Heh - My 'Character Quote' for my character in the Star-Wars game I'm in at the moment: "Damned Force Shenanigans!" (She's a non-force-user in a party with two force-users - She's an ex-ISB spy turned Fulcrum agent and sniper). She's also Corellian and 'owns' the parties ship.

[@Thrandi]

We had a Wizard - Uklar - that was Bi-Polar. At the start of each session, the player would rolled dice to determine where he was hyper or depressed. It was funny, he didn't say what his rolls meant, I swear I saw him roll the same thing in two different games. Both were different results. I think the dice roll was just a second for him to decide. In that same game, I played a Dwarf Fighter that said "BALLS!" as an exclamation or a cuss word. It helped...

[@CorneliusThroatworthy]

for tip number 2, I do something as simple as having my favourite mug be reserved for my weekly DnD sessions, and all throughout the rest of the week I used all my other mugs and exclude my fave. it's not even a fantasy/DnD themed mug, it has no connection to my character, it's just a simple habit that helps I used to have a bunch of props to represent some of the weapons and things in my PC's inventory (and to remind me of my weapon options in fights) but haven't stuck to that consistently because when running late it's just not my priority but having that mug to drink out of on DnD day is automatic and not subject to being forgotten (since it's my favourite mug and I look forward to using it) and I do think helps a bit

[@predarek]

I always write my stories while listening to music. It goes both ways, sometimes I find new inspiration and write a story based on what the music triggers and sometimes I find a song that fits the story. If I need to go back on part of the story or if I wrote something far away in the future (or while jotting a random story), I can put back the music to put me back right where I left!

[@CarlosRodriguez-sv4wd]

Your videos are the only piece of media that has advertisements that I not only enjoy but are entertained by and look forward to, bravo!

[@kiligir]

The more I watch you (and I've watched everything, I think), the more I realize that your writing is fantastic.

[@drakeula_]

I CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW PERFECTLY YOU DROPPED THIS VIDEO I literally have a session tonight and I’m not feeling it 😭

[@andrewlustfield6079]

From my experience, recapping the last game is infinitely useful, not only for getting into individual character, but also in getting back into the situation and mood of the over all adventure. I usually ask one of my players, one who records the actual games and is making illustrated journal for his character from the recordings, and the other who is a great note taker. It almost always winds up where the all the players get into remembering what happened as a shared experience before we dive into the adventure in front of us. So this is a great tool. I've seen key phrases work well, especially if the land well the first time. I'm actually somewhat ambivalent toward involved back stories---it might be helpful in the initial few games sessions but after that the events of the game will shape the character far more than their initial back story. What happens in game is far more character shaping to the character in my experience. A list of traits is okay, as long as those traits have habits or actions associated with them. For instance, I have one character who each night, goes around the camp sight or the room he is going to be sleeping in, smoking a pipe with a blend of herbs and tobaccos in the bowl to invite beneficial spirits and to ward off malicious ones. Last game, this behavior led to an NPC encounter where the character in question got some useful information. So traits that connect to actions in game works well---traits without connection to actions is less helpful from my perspective. Overall, whatever wors best for you is what you should use. Best and cheers. Good video

[@michaelmcgill720]

Yup. Music is my jam. I have a separate playlist for each character that really helps get back into the right headspace.

[@Reoh0z]

I write a recap synopsis after every session and re-read it at the start of the next. Most of the DM's in groups I'm in now use it too. I also leave a few notes to start the next session including various story threads we're juggling.

[@haravikk]

Reviewing traits is my favourite one; I often forget at least one and it's always good to think about traits you haven't played (and why) and either commit to them, ditch them or replace them, as well as just adding to your traits over time as your character's personality gets better defined. Also, I *really* want a tuna sandwich now.

[@glenndallas7171]

#2 is such a great suggestion! I encourage players to have an item at the table like that, which doubles as a good object to have for players who use fidget toys. =)

[@nordicson2835]

Rough day at work , l get home and one of our DnD group , called my son and said ... "tell your Dad not to worry... l saw Ginny Di , and l got it covered , ".... so l guess l have to wait till Thursday night... Loved Laudnas Lament... thank you again...

[@chophouse404]

At the end of sessions, I write a summary I'm the form of family letters my character keeps to send at the next opportunity.

[@digimaniacstudios5959]

I have two go to ways to get into character before hand. 1. Practice the voice. Doing the voice helps me get into their headspace because when I give a character a voice it’s usually a pretty basic choice for their personality. (I.E. I have a character who’s a pretentious rich asshole and I give her this fake accent) 2. Music! I make playlists for most of my characters and putting on even a few of those songs before hand puts me into that headspace. During a session aside from the voice I often have a subtle motion I do. (One of my characters has a dead fiancé and she regularly strokes her engagement ring)

[@PotterFreak22]

My D&D character is basically me. With magic, a pet blue pseudodragon and no chronic pain issues. So it’s not that hard to get into character (at least for me) Me and my friends do the recap of session EVERY session. Sometimes we can go weeks without playing and it’s nice to refresh everyone on what happened. The fact that half the group also takes notes is a big help. I might certainly try some of the other techniques in the next game I play (DMing currently) and see how that goes. The “commercial” in the middle of the video was quite funny. I wasn’t expecting the costume changes and cackled a bit when that last change almost scared Wyrmwood Ginny off her chair. Comedic timing is pretty good when used like that.

[@faemerothgoblinbane]

Excellent advice. I'll certainly be adopting some of these. Usually I remember what happens from session to session as I'm the one who does the written recap for our group (entirely self appointed - I did it once and they just have never stopped me) but it's not always enough to get me back into the mindset.

[@noodle_angel]

I’m designing my d&d character and then I get a notification. This made my day

[@BloodsireArchitectGM]

Travis Willingham used a catch phrase to get back into his characters voice for Chetney "Fuck Santa!" i laughed so hard at that

[@pow8333]

about to head into a session zero, where the story begins via my character interviewing the others once they've been created. this is SO helpful for working out a set of characteristics to establish that

[@captaincube132]

this video made me more prepared for game night AND cured my insomnia! thanks Ginny!

[@JessWasMistaken]

Love that the Character playlist suggestion is in here, I thought I was the only one who did this! Character playlists for all my OCs, can't help it.

[@Yggdrasilincarnate]

I remember I always had certain phrases I used to use when getting into character for my overly posh old explorer haha- the thing that I always find a struggle isn’t so much getting into character as the dreaded new character anxiety!

[@DramaticChemist]

I make character playlists for any theatre/stage role too. Whatever the character, I listen to that playlist to get into the character mindset while I'm getting into costume. 😊

[@lizatayta3626]

Before every game my dm alwasys asks us a question for our characters i love that he does it really helps us think as our characters.

[@nathanalbanese1472]

Oooh I might steal that

[@Rayne_Storms]

Using a character Playlist is my favorite. It's a great way to get to know your character when you're building them too. (Once I knew that my dragonborne rogue's Playlist was mostly Macklemore and Ke$ha, I really understood them a lot better.) It's something I keep adding to as the campaign goes on too.

[@itsturtlefacemydudes]

Something that I always do is make playlists for my PC's that I listen to before sessions filled with songs that either remind me of them, inspired parts of them, or simply have the right vibes. For example, I'm currently playing a circle of stars Druid, and as such one of the first songs I put on her playlist was Saturn by Sleeping at last. Listening to music that makes you think about/get emotional about your character can be a really big help with getting into said character

[@jessalynkrenicki1431]

Number 6 is what I find to be the easiest way to get into character! My character is a confident leader of a Firbolg with horns and scales; sitting proudly and imagining how their horns/scaly neck feels really help to get in character!

[@avis199]

Thankyou, this video helps me a lot! I'm gonna be playing in a new campaign soon with a group of people, and lately I've been having lots of trouble getting into character for some reason. I'm gonna try out as many of these as I can, and watch the other video you suggested, to hopefully better be in my character's mindset!

[@Avenz0r]

The intro was how we were all feeling our last dnd sesh 😂

[@thecurlylockes4069]

This is really helpful and practical, not only for players, but also for DMs

[@dovejuniper780]

One of my struggles is that I’m a very new player and sometimes the multi tasking of learning this new skill, acting as another person and trying to ‘yes and’ gets really hard to juggle. I haven’t really had a chance to get into character traits bc I’ve felt a little like I as the player am piloting my cleric for the sake of the story. Two of the charas I’m playing with have intertwined backstories and have tried to ditch me twice… which is well within their personality to do so. I have just chosen to make excuses to follow them by saying I’m traveling the same way for the sake of the game play but my cleric isn’t the type to go where he isn’t wanted… not only that but I don’t have a private space to play and so I keep getting pulled out of the mindset bc I’m being shushed by others in my tiny house! 😔 I just dont wanna be a bad player

[@MyFictionalChaos]

Ginny Di always knows how to help :) this is my FIRST dnd dession and I am quiet & wasnt a theatre kid so I didnt know how to get into character. You rock!!

[@emilyfniles]

If you didn't suggest it I was going to suggest a music playlist. I created one for my current character and I loved the process. I picked songs that reminded me of her or I thought she would listen to and I listen to it before our sessions. Not only does it help get me in the right mindset to play her but I feel like I understand her that much more now.

[@NightStarGamer]

This is an area I definitely struggle in, since I tend to be fairly busy and barely sleep, plus time zone differences, by the time our sessions roll around it's hard to get into character, oddly enough a lot of these tips I knew about but I have difficulty applying them. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist with things so I always want to do things "perfect" but I also forget very easily so if I don't do things that minute I'll probably forget. I'm definitely going to try and implement some of these though.

[@shogundante666]

i have to be honest, ive never liked any advertising on any video of any kind, actually, any adds ive ever seen in a video just made me less interested in the product and sometimes even angry abput them disrupting the flow of what i am watching, but this one made me laugh so very much, i know it is very stupid to think anyone can even come close to match the creativity of this particular add, but this is a master class, anyone that want to advertise on your videos should pay extra for it after you show this one XDDDDDDDDDDD

[@bardofvoid174]

Ginny! I've only looked through some of your videos, and I've already felt the need to recommend 3 of them to my new players cause they're so well-organized, well-put, and accessible; while also helping me as a rather new dm >.> I think they've already noticed a pattern lmao. Keep up the great work! c:

[@phnxrpnzlYT]

I LOVE this!!! Number 8 is my favorite - I'm right there with you with making full character playlists :) thanks Ginny!!!

[@Valan10191]

All great advice, I will talk to my players and ask all these questions. Thank you as always Ginny.

[@Neutral_Tired]

since I play online, I usually have my character playlists on very quietly in the background while we play, it helps

[@derricgreene]

With my newest character, Wizzo the Clown, I've had a blast getting into character. It's with a new group who's less uptight than my normal group, all about my age (give or take 8 years), and in a private setting. That's made it so easy for me to open up the silliness that is clownin'

[@carlosviforcos5336]

Super useful as always. Thanks for this content Ginny! You are helping lots of D&D enthusiasts like me getting a lil better at something that we love.

[@LostFoundling]

To get into character, I have a lazy day cosplay of my character that I wear while listening to a playlist that is a thematic retelling of her backstory and read over me session notes which are more or less an in-character journal. I try to play vastly different characters from myself because otherwise I would only play Bards or Arcane Tricksters and getting into character the way I do helps immensely.

[@Maninawig]

At first, I knew what I wanted in characters but not how to get them, so homebrewed the crap out of the character and used your skits/questions to try and fix them. While it couldn't make gold out of manure, it did give me some key questions that spoke to the character and that I kept track of. A couple years later, I came back to my jibberish chickenscratch and it was those questions that reminded me exactly what I wanted. Some were helped with new classes like the Drakewarden, others were simply needing deeper understanding in my class features. But they all gained new hope thanks to a few key questions.

[@historywithsigna]

My journal for our Strixhaven campaign is my clerics in character journal, and it's not helpful for getting into character, but it's pretty fun too :)

[@laszlovad]

I immediately sent this video to my players. 😂 I’m grateful for the thoughtful and concise advice you give to people in the RPG space!

[@chemgeektim]

Great topic! Always important to shift gears to get into game and away from the mundane. As always another fun sponsored ad!

[@serbian88]

Oh yeah. I use a combo of character playlists, heroforge design review to visually remember certain elements of personality or read an entry for more intellectual focused characters. It can be all of the above, some, or even none. Its fun

[@fal_pal_]

I was literally just trying to figure out solutions to this problem, then bam, you come up with this awesome video!

[@Bonovasitch]

One thing I also learned watching Critical Roll and playing dnd with theater kids/fledgling voice actors is how much of a difference character voice/speaking mannerisms and patterns help convey everything else about a character.

[@Reoh0z]

If you do accents, having a particular phrase you say to get back into your accent is very helpful for when you lose it. Even if its just speak it to yourself.

[@goblinguru]

I did the playlist thing for my last character it totally works. I went on to add some songs for the other players to help me think of them

[@brego5138]

I loved the hashtag sponsored, it was so funny 😂😂😂

[@ValeOfMuses]

Just has a roleplay-exclusive session yesterday where I did not feel at ALL like my character. Every time she spoke there was this sad, dejected, serious voice that had just a bit of "better than you" vibes - which isn't great when you've invited your party to a family dinner to celebrate having hatched a nest of couatl eggs! I'm blaming it on the presence of the family's black sheep, who my character REALLY doesn't get along with (because she's young and simultaneously full of radical fire and unaware of the more hesitant views some of her relatives have passed on) - but it's definitely because of the stress of homework assignments, three exams in a single week, and the impending hurricane. I can't wait to use some of these next time!

[@Hufflepuff_Studios]

The one that has worked the most is the music approach,i associate my charismatic rouge thief with the song "bad reputation" by Joann Jet and the black hearts (or any of their songs tbh) and I usually get in character after a few listens of it😊😊 Edit:I just made a playlist for my character and it’s helped me a LOT…btw I did not know how much don’t lose your head by the SIX musical gave me my character’s vibes-who knew